Rhetorical Argumentation in Philo of Alexandria (Brown Judaic Studies).

Aus der Bibliothek von Prof. Wolfgang Haase, langj�igem Herausgeber der ANRW und des International Journal of the Classical Tradition (IJCT) / From the library of Prof. Wolfgang Haase, long-time editor of ANRW and the International Journal of the Classical Tradition (IJCT). - sehr guter Zustand / very good condition - FOREWORD -- by BURTON L. MACK -- This study by Manuel Alexandre, Jr. is a translation from the Portuguese original, Argumentacao Retorica em Filon de Alexandria, Biblioteca Euphrosyne 4 (Lisbon: Institute Nacional de Investigate Cientifica, 1990), with some revisions and additions. It presents the results of a research program undertaken toward the end of the 1970s. About that time a shift in focus for rhetorical studies was clearly under way, from a traditional emphasis upon matters of style and ornamentation to theories of argumentation. Also during the 1970s, a small group of scholars meeting at McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago and the Institute for Antiquity and Christianity at Claremont had begun to explore the incidence of rhetorical terms, tropes, and patterns of argumentation in the Philonic corpus. Mr. Alexandre joined this group and, intrigued by the question of classical rhetoric in support of the Philonic program of scriptural interpretation, decided to put it to the test. -- His study represents a huge undertaking. Not only was it necessary to master the classical rhetorical texts to determine the logic of the various patterns of persuasion they described. An analysis of the entire Philonic corpus was necessary in order to ascertain the incidence and structural significance of rhetorical forms used in its compositions. This was not an easy task. Traditionally, Philo had been viewed as a thinker whose discourse was marked by philosophic and conceptual system building. It was also the case that recent studies had begun to emphasize the exegetical, hermeneutical, and allegorical designs of Philo�s commentaries. To pursue the structural significance of rhetorical patterns of argumentation in support of allegorical commentary on the Jewish scriptures was a novel challenge. Alexandre�s demonstration of the formal structure of a complete treatise, the rhetorical function of the speeches in a treatise, the use of the complete argument in exegetical lemmata, and the effect of periodic structures in smaller units of composition, is a decided advance in our understanding of Philo�s cross-cultural program. Scholars interested in the history of classical rhetoric, and especially its incidence and employment during the early Roman period, will find this study helpful. ISBN 9780788505829